High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction Ranked Number Five Nationally By Wine Spectator

ATLANTA, March 10, 2008 – The High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction has been named fifth in a national ranking of the Top 10 charity wine auctions in the United States by Wine Spectator Magazine in its March 31, 2008, issue. Each year, Wine Spectator gathers information on charity auctions throughout the country and ranks its Top 10. In 2007, the results of 40 charity wine auctions were tracked to compile the rankings.

The 2007 High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction set records as the most successful live auction in its 15-year history, bringing in revenues of more than $1.8 million. Combined with silent auction proceeds, a Paddle Raise in support of youth education at the High and record-breaking support from donors, benefactors and corporate sponsors, total event revenues rose to more than $2.2 million (a 27% increase from 2006).

When speaking on the 2007 ranking, Wine Auction Manager, Woodie Wisebram noted that: “In addition to our number five ranking in the Top 10, our Auction is also the largest charity wine auction in the country that specifically benefits the arts.”

High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction
The High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction kicks off its 16th year, celebrating its anniversary in 2008 with the theme “The Sensational Sixteenth High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction: How Sweet It Is!” Beginning Thursday, March 27, and continuing through Saturday, March 29, 2008, the auction will again raise its trademark big-top tents in Atlantic Station.

The centerpiece of the Auction weekend is the Live Auction, where more than 85 auction lots will be sold this year, including rare and collectible wines, exclusive wine-related trips and dining events and works of art. This year’s auction catalogue can be previewed online at www.atlanta-wineauction.org, which also includes information on sealed and telephone bidding.

The 2008 Wine Auction events are organized by co-chairs Liz Lazarus and Joan Marmo. A Trade Tasting and 16 Winemakers Dinners will be held on Thursday, March 27. Events on Friday, March 28, include Premier Tasting Seminars and a Gala Dinner Dance. Saturday, March 29, features the Vintners’ Reception and Live Auction and concludes with The Big Finish event, a wine weekend finale for the next generation co-sponsored by the Museum’s volunteer organization Art Partners.

Founded in 1993, the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction is the largest fundraising event for the High and ranks as the top charity wine auction in the country benefiting the arts, drawing prominent winemakers from the U.S. and around the world. The funds generated by the Wine Auction, which amount to more than $12 million over the last 15 years and $2.2 million in 2007 alone, are a significant contribution to the Museum’s acquisitions, exhibitions and educational programming.

Wine Auction Special Guests
The 2008 High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction Special Guests of Honor are celebrated Burgundy vintner Alex Gambal and California Central Coast winemaker Joseph Davis. Special Guest Chefs for the Gala Dinner include world-renowned Southern Star chefs Gerry Klaskala and Kathryn King of Atlanta’s Aria with Hugh Acheson of Five & Ten and The National in Athens, Georgia; Mike Lata of FIG in Charleston, South Carolina; and Todd Richards of The Oakroom in Louisville, Kentucky. Members of the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA), these chefs exemplify the SFA mission to document and celebrate the diverse food cultures of the American South. Austin Hope, winemaker for his family’s Treana Winery and for his own Austin Hope Winery, will serve as Special Guest for The Big Finish.

Wine Auction Support
The 2008 High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction is made possible through the generous support of the exclusive Presenting Sponsor, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Premier Corporate Sponsors include Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles magazine, Geographics, Wachovia Wealth Management, KPMG, Montaluce and The Streets of Buckhead/Ben Carter Properties. Delta Air Lines is the official airline. Atlanta Area Lexus Dealers are the automobile sponsor. Media partners include Flavors, Restaurant Forum, and Skirt! magazines. Atlantic Station is the Site Sponsor.

High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art, founded in 1905 as the Atlanta Art Association, is the leading art museum in the southeastern United States. With more than 11,000 works of art in its permanent collection, the High Museum of Art has an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American art; significant holdings of European paintings and decorative art; a growing collection of African American art; and burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, photography and African art. The High is also dedicated to supporting and collecting works by Southern artists and is distinguished as the only major museum in North America to have a curatorial department specifically devoted to the field of folk and self-taught art. The High’s Media Arts department produces acclaimed annual film series and festivals of foreign, independent and classic cinema. In November 2005, the High opened three new buildings by architect Renzo Piano that more than doubled the Museum’s size, creating a vibrant “village for the arts” at the Woodruff Arts Center in midtown Atlanta. For more information about the High, please visit www.High.org.

The Woodruff Arts Center
The Woodruff Arts Center is the largest arts center in the Southeast as well as one of the four largest in the nation. The Woodruff is unique in that it combines five visual and performing arts divisions on one campus as one not-for-profit organization. Founded in 1968, the Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art, Young Audiences and the 14th Street Playhouse.